Poultry

I love a good home-baked chicken as much as anyone, but sometimes it can be challenging to find the time to make it, which is why I am perfectly fine with purchasing rotisserie chicken from the local market. And let’s face it, they taste pretty good too!There are so many things you can do with them, including making some really delicious soup.This recipe is quick, simple and leverages the chicken to its fullest, resulting in great flavor and lots of freshness from the vegetables.As always, do enjoy!

Earlier last week I was having some difficulty sleeping. Not sure about the rest of you but this is a typical issue for me. I long for 7 and ½ hours a night but that rarely happens.As I’m laying there trying to get back to sleep a million things go through my head and the positive side to it is that it’s usually when I come up with my best recipes. Last week was no exception. I’d been craving chicken wings but wanted to create a wing with some bite and a sticky, gooey glaze with lots of flavor.I wanted it to be both sweet and savory. In the midst of my insomnia I landed on using cherry preserves and while that may seem less than typical the preserves worked amazingly well against the soy and garlic. Their natural sugars created just the sticky carmelization I was seeking. To sum it up these did not make it to leftovers in my home and I’m confident they won’t in yours either..

In anticipation of the summer that’s soon to be upon us I prepared my “Easy Barbecued Chicken” yesterday. As usual it did not disappoint! In fact as we were eating Craig asked why I don’t make this more often.I had no answer really other than to say that I get bored easily with the same meals over and over again. There’s also this silly part of me that believes certain foods are meant to be prepared only during certain times of the year. My husband hates that by the way, but we all have our little quirks don’t we?

Anyway the great thing about this chicken beyond its “finger-licking good” taste is just how simple it is to prepare. You will note in looking at the ingredients that I use a couple different brands of prepared barbeque sauce. I’m not sure why, but they work very well together. I’m thinking it’s because they each add a slightly different taste which adds to the complexity of flavor. Whatever the reason, it really works and I guarantee you’ll be making this for your barbeque meals often.

Tonight I decided it was time to treat my husband to one of his favorite meals. I’ve been making him and the rest of my family sweet and sour chicken for many, many years now, and not until a PF Chang’s China Bistro opened up in our area have I ever experienced a sweet and sour chicken meal that rivals mine. Anyway, since my husband tirelessly cleans up the kitchen after every one of my meals and since he also rewards me with a hot delicious cup of java every single morning without fail, I decided to make one of his longtime favorites. I promise you it’s every bit as good as PF Chang’s version, and when you realize how easy it really is to make yourself, I’m sure it will be one of your favorites as well! Give it a try and let me know what you think..

If you asked the average person where “Chili” originated from, most would probably guess Mexico. I think much of that is due to the dish’s typical ingredient list of beans, meat, and spicy flavors which are found in many Mexican recipes.Oddly enough however there is no real proof of that. On the contrary, legend has it that the dish was created by a Spanish nun during the 17th century right here in the United States.Apparently she created the dish because the ingredients were cheap and easy to feed those in need.You can learn more about the history of “Chili” by clicking on this link http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Chili/ChiliHistory.htm. We are avid fans of chili in my home and I have several recipes that I have created and come to love over the years but I think my “White Chicken Chili” is definitely the front runner.I serve it with plenty of heat, cilantro and a big hunk of corn bread on the side!